In Past Sights
by StereoxHearts
Summary: Hinata is a depressed, heartbroken teenaged girl, who wallows in her own sadness of three months and Naruto is over it. Together he teaches her how to love life again, but be warned, this is a story of friendship, this is not a typical love story.
1. Present

Walking down the hallway by yourself in the morning can be lonely. Especially when you've been doing it for the past three months. I can't believe it's been three months. Time tends to move slowly when you're alone as well. The only benefit between the relationships of time and alone, is that there tends to be more of it. More time for being alone, which can be productive. I guess.

I always arrive 30 minutes before class starts. Most people do. Usually I was like most people. Except I go to the library before my class starts. People still do that, just not most people. I used to do it more freshmen year, who knew that I'd regress back to that two years later.

At least the library is – oh, no.

Brown shaggy hair, small brown eyes, a grin so wide I can see his canine teeth; of course I'd see him. I'm in school after all.

We catch a glimpse of each other. I can't look away, so I just close my eyes and turn around. I'll sit outside today. I can't do this. Not today. Not right now. I was making so much progress.

"Hinata!" I instantly know its Naruto's voice behind me. But I can't turn around and look back, because all I'll see is him, and I just can't. Not right now. I pick up my pace to an almost jog. I must look ridiculous.

* * *

><p>Class is usually safe. Not from everything, but from the things I'm afraid of the most. Such as real life, school drama, hateful comments. All of that goes away, mainly because teachers say that classroom time is their time, meaning that we are now in their world and there is no time for our own. Many people get annoyed by that, but I like it. It's like a real life fantasy, escaping your own reality for 50 minutes. But even fantasies and dreams make you face some sort of reality at some point.<p>

"Pst!" I hear from the seat next to me. I look over and see Naruto. He's not looking at me, but his hand is out with a piece of paper in his grip. I know it will have something to do about this morning, but if I don't take it from him, it'd be rude. He doesn't deserve that.

I reach out and take out. I slowly open it, trying to make as little noise as possible. I glance over at Naruto, who is watching me, waiting for me to read the letter.

_You can't keep ignoring him. Hiding isn't the answer._

_Just talk to him. You never know!_

_We all miss you Hinata._

I get that lump in my throat before I cry. I know everything has been different and it's all my fault. It really is. I take a deep breath before finally scribbling back.

_I'm sorry._

I don't know what else to write. I neatly fold it up and hand it back to Naruto. I don't want to see his face as he reads it. I'm pretty sure he is either confused or upset. But I can't, I'm not ready. I know it's been three months, I know I need start being a real human being again, but this is just easier.

"Pst!" I hear. Immediately after a paper lands on my desk, I look at Naruto who is pouting. I open the note.

_Lunch? You + Me!_

_I'm not taking no._

I smile. Naruto never takes no for an answer, so of course I can't fight him on this. Also, not having to eat lunch alone for once sounds nice. I look at him and wait for him to look at me. When he does, I smile and nod. He grins back.

As soon as class ends, Naruto approaches my desk without hesitation.

"Where do you wanna go?" He asks.

"Go?"

"To eat." He says, which I am still not following. "We're not going to eat here, too risky, right?" He is right, or he is making fun of me. Either way, he's doing that to make me more comfortable.

"Are you sure?" I ask. He nods.

"Of course, and I know just the place!" He grins. I smile, but from knowing Naruto, I know the place too.

* * *

><p>"Two miso ramen!" The old manowner of Ichiraku Ramen announces. Naruto is immediately excited and raises his hand.

"Right here!" He exclaims. The man laughs as he hands us our food. He winks at me and I blush. He knows Naruto really well so he probably thinks I'm his girlfriend or something.

"Hinata," Naruto mutters. I look over and there were literally noodles falling out of his mouth. I couldn't help but giggle a little. He finally manages to swallow what he could before talking. "You not gonna eat?"

I look at my food and back at him. I keep my eyes directly on him as I put the food in my mouth. I chew, swallow and smile. He smiles back and together we continue to eat our food, which was very delicious, I had to admit. I haven't eaten out in a long time, 3 months.

"Another round, Mister!" Naruto yells, holding his empty bowl up in the air. The old man chuckles and takes the bowl from his hands.

"Coming right up!"

Naruto's amazing. I mean, I always knew he was amazing, I guess I just forgot for a while. That tends to happen when someone you stop following someone's life for a while. I used to know almost everything about Naruto, but now my only facts come from rumors. But it's nice to see that he still has that charm to make everyone smile when they're within his presence.

"Do you want another one?" His voice is just as bright as his smile. I look down at my bowl, there's still half a bowl of ramen in it. I don't really know how to respond. He leans towards me and gasps. "You're still not done? Quit slacking, Hinata." He smiles.

He's amazing. For an instant I remember why I fell so hard for him, but the thought of love makes my heart hurt. A lot.

"W-W-Wait, Hinata! I was just joking, please don't cry!" Cry? I blink and feel a full tear run down my cheek. I rub my other eye and sure enough there's water on my hand. I quickly scramble to remove every last drop from my eye sockets.

"I'm sorry," I whispered quietly. "I didn't know I was." I try to force a smile. "I'm just…" I can't think of words. I don't want to talk anymore, so I just stop and eat my ramen.

Of course, after that, everything got awkward. We ate in silence and even when the man returned to Naruto with his food, Naruto accepted quietly. Again, I ruined everything. I always tend to make the situation worst and all Naruto was trying to do is help me. Why must I be me?

After Naruto pays for the meal, despite how much I try to convince him I'm fine, we start walking… in the opposite direction of school. It took me a minute to notice, but we are definitely not headed back to campus.

"Naruto, where are we going?" I ask him. No response. I hope he's not mad at me, of course he still has every right to be. "S-Shouldn't we go back to school?"

"Do you want to go back to school?" He asks me, stopping in his tracks. I almost bumped him. He turns around and stares at me. His crystal blue eyes that was filled with brightness a minute ago, is now pure stone.

I nod. I'm too intimidated to speak.

"Say it." He says. I look at him, lost. "Say you want to go back to school." I wait a moment. I have no idea what is happening. "Hinata, it's okay to say it." He smiles.

"I want to go back to school." I say. A soft smile creeps across his face. He looks at me, so differently. I don't think he's every looked at me this way before. Was is it pity? It almost looked a bit like sympathy.

"On one condition." He says. He takes my right hand and holds it. I blush, I haven't held hands since… "Hinata Hyuga, will you go out with me?"

I blink. I blink again. And again. Soon, everything is black.

* * *

><p><strong>StereoxHearts<strong>


	2. Past

_I really like the library. It's a nice place to hide from everything. All I have to do is stuff my face in a book and no one will see anything. They'll leave me alone, which is all that I want right now. I just need some time to myself for a while._

_"Hey." I knew it was only a matter of time before Kiba would show up. He always shows up. I lay my book down to meet his stare. "Are you okay?" I force a smile, which makes him frown even more. He's always been able to read me so thoroughly. Why do I even bother trying? I then show him how I am actually feeling._

_"I'm sorry…" I tell him._

_"Why are you sorry?"_

_"I didn't mean to make you worry." I know it doesn't matter if I say that. Kiba always worries about me. He's worried about me ever since preschool, what would make him stop now? Just because I said I'm okay? I'm not convincing._

_"I always worry, you idiot." I already knew that. "Plus, it'll be alright. We knew he was going to ask her anyway, it was just kind of a shock when she said yes."_

_Why wouldn't she say yes? He's Naruto Uzumaki, the nicest, brightest, most optimistic boy in the entire world. Every time he's around the sky gets light, the atmosphere is happier, everyone enjoys his company. Sure, Sakura usually rejected him, but it was only a matter of time before she came around. I just wish…_

_"Hinata!" I jump at the sound of Kiba's voice, followed immediately by a flick to my forehead, which hurt a little. "Stop. It." He tells me, but I can't and we both know I can't. "Just because they're going to a dance together doesn't mean they're going out."_

_"I know…"_

_"And it's win a win, if you look at it. Now I have a date to the dance and you are guaranteed the absolute best night of your life." His grin goes from ear to ear. I'm so thankful for Kiba. He's the best friend anyone could have._

_Oh, no! I just remembered!_

_"Does that mean Ino said no?" Kiba and Ino have been talking for a while, and by the way things were going, I was sure that they'd wind up going to the dance together. He scratches his head with an uncomfortable laugh._

_"I didn't even get a chance to ask her. Shikamaru beat me to it." I was a little shocked, but not completely surprised._

_Shikamaru and Ino were childhood friends, they were close until Shikamaru started dating an older exchange student, Temari. That's around the time Kiba and Ino became close. I miss having Ino around. She's intimidating, but she's really nice._

_"I'm sorry." Which I felt bad saying. Kiba always has comforting words for me, and all I can say about his situation is 'I'm sorry?' What kind of best friend am I? I want to be able to cheer him up the way he does for me._

_He immediately brushes off what I said and just smiles at me._

_"It's fine. We've both agreed that we're better off as friends a while ago." I knew they were close friends, but I didn't realize that they had such intimate talks like this. It's amazing , but it makes sense. The two of them are very open people. "Besides… we're pretty sure there's someone out there for both of us."_

_I look at Kiba as if the most beautiful words that have ever been spoken had come from his mouth. I guess I never realized how much of an optimist Kiba was. I really love optimism. Only a few people possess it. I try to surround myself with optimistic people. It's probably why Kiba is my best friend and why I have such strong feelings for Naruto._

_"What?" Kiba says, snapping me out of my dream phase. I smile._

_"Nothing." I respond quickly. "You might not believe me but I'm happy I get to go to the dance with you."_

_Kiba hates it when I get all-sentimental. He looks away embarrassed, you can even see the red on his cheeks! It always makes me laugh. Boys have their adorable sides too._

_"Yeah, well… me too. With you." He's so great. He always makes me feel better. "And who knows, maybe we can sneak you a dance with Naruto." He winks. My face heats up._

_"K-K-Kiba!" His laugh is like a roar, filling the entire library. I try to quiet him down. I don't want us to get in trouble, but I'm really just trying to avoid attention and embarrassment. Eventually he starts to quiet down. I feel relieved, but I also feel the mood shift._

_Kiba's stared at me before, but this time it was serious. He was looking right into my eyes, but his mind wasn't focused on the present. It seemed like his mind was occupied with something important. I was a little worried. Kiba rarely gets serious._

_"But you'd like that, right?" I don't know what he is… "A dance with Naruto." It's like he can read my mind. His tone is so serious. "You'd like a dance with him, wouldn't you?"_

_I look away. I don't really know how to answer that. I mean it is obvious I would love a chance to dance with Naruto, but that would never happen, especially if he has Sakura as his date. There's no way he'd ever give up a dance with her._

_"It'd be nice…" I answer. I'm hopeful, but I also know what's reality and what isn't. And Naruto and I are not exactly reality. Not yet anyway._

_"Hinata, can I ask you something?" I nod. He takes a moment, as if he's gathering his thoughts, which is weird because he usually blurts things out, hardly thinking of the repercussions later. "Do you… Could you… Do you every think about giving up on Naruto?" What? "Have you ever considered giving someone else a chance?"_

_Kiba used to ask me this a lot when I first started liking Naruto. It started dying down a few years ago and he hasn't ever brought it up since. I assume it has something to do with him giving up on Ino. Is he looking for advice?_

_"I can't imagine myself with anyone else." I tell him. "It's always been Naruto." Maybe I should say something positive. Maybe that's the answer that Kiba actually needs to here. "But if he were to be happy with someone else, I guess I'd have to."_

_"Would you be willing to even try before that though?"_

_"I don't..." I can't even answer. "I… Kiba, why are you asking me all these questions?" They were unnerving to me. "Is something wrong?" Was he trying to tell me something about Ino? Was he finally confiding in me about his love life?_

_"Just thinking." He smiles. "I just don't want to see you get hurt." He means that. He always means that, and I feel the same about him. I never want to see him hurt. Ever._

_Strangely enough, Kiba gets up after that and waves me off with no words. It was certainly a different way of him exiting, but maybe I'm reading too much into it. He was smiling when he left._

_I really did want him and Ino to work out. I wonder what happened._

_"I'll be at your house around 7!" He shouts across the entire library. Anko-sensei shushes him harshly. I nod and smile as he's being kicked out of the library by Sensei._

_I'm glad he left on a brighter note. I was just worrying too much._

* * *

><p><em>It's 7:31. He's late. Why is he so late? Yes, I expected him to be a little late, it is Kiba after all. But 30 whole minutes? People are probably on their way there right now.<em>

_I check my phone one more time. He hasn't texted me since yesterday when he asked what color my dress is. He's so last minute, or even later than that sometimes. Like right now. Where is he? Should I go to his house? Should I call him? What should I-?_

_I feel a vibration in my hand. Kiba's face is in my hand. He's here! I hope._

_"Kiba?" I answer._

_"Hey Hinata."_

_"Where are you? Are you okay?" Usually his laugh would give me ease, but this time it felt forced and fake. I wait for him to answer me, but he doesn't. "Kiba?"_

_"I'm outside." After that my phone beeps. He hung up. But he's outside. I wonder if everything is okay. He sounded fine yesterday. It's probably something about Ino. I know they talk online a lot, they probably had a conversation before he left to came here._

_Rushing downstairs in a dress is hard, especially in heels, so I take them off halfway down the stairs. I see Hanabi on the way out and give her a quick goodbye. I don't really know why I'm in such a hurry. I just feel like I should be?_

_I don't know why I wasn't expecting to see Kiba directly outside the door, I guess I assumed he'd be at the end of the road or something, but there he was, waiting for me to open it._

_"Hi." I say to him. He looks at me and grins._

_"Hi." I smile back and slip my shoes back on as he closes the door for me. "You're beautiful." He tells me, as I am literally hunched over trying to stuff my foot back into my heels. I lower my head to hide how red my face probably is. Kiba can be so embarrassing sometimes._

_"Thank you." He lets me use him as balance to get the remaining part of my heel into my shoe. During that time I finally got to examine Kiba. His hair was still as raggedy as ever, but the rest of him looked beautifully put together. Everything match, he even had a light blue tie! "You look beautiful too, Kiba."_

_"Man…" It's so adorable when he gets embarrassed, I can never help but laugh. After readjusting himself, probably from me using him as balance, he holds out his arm. "Milady." Of course I take a hold of it. Arm and arm we walk off my property and down the street._

_When Kiba and I are together we have so many conversations that I can't even remember what we talk about. Each topic flows to another and so on. It's nice. It's something I can only do with Kiba, and I like that._

_Sometimes it also takes me out of reality for a while. I'm so involved with our conversation that I didn't know that we were walking to the playground until we finally stopped moving. I don't know why we're here; it's not in the direction of school._

_"What are we doing here?" I really have no idea what is going on. He just smiles at me walks toward the swings. Still confused, my only reaction is to follow him. We both take a seat before I repeat my question. He hesitates._

_"You didn't want to go to the dance." Kiba's voice is weird. "You don't want to see Naruto and Sakura." My throat hurts. He's right, but I thought I could still try to have fun with Kiba._

_"I'm sorry." I didn't want to ruin his night too. "I know you really want to go." I don't know what to say. "I'll be fine, you don't have to worry." I don't know how I can convince him, if I can't convince myself. My throat hurts._

_"Hinata," I can't help but feel awful. "Give up on Naruto." It's a statement I have heard many time before._

_"Kiba, you know I-"_

_"Go out with me instead." I… I don't understand what's happening. I open my mouth to talk, but nothing comes out. "I like you, Hinata. I've liked you for as long as you loved Naruto." I… What's… "I'm tired of being in the friendzone. I want to be the one to help you move on from Naruto. I want to replace him in your heart. I want to be with you, Hinata Hyuuga."_

_My head is completely clouded. I would have never suspected that Kiba had these feelings for me. I thought he was in love with Ino. Was this because they didn't work out? Am I allowed to ask him, that? But don't I still have to address the situation right now? What is going on?_

_"Say something." His voice interrupted the rush of confusion in my mind right now. I don't even know what to say. I just look at him. He seems so desperate just to hear me speak. Of course he is, he just poured his heart out. He needs something. I have to say something._

_"Kiba…" I don't even know what to say. I can't even grasp what will come from my mouth. "I… I thought you and Ino…"_

_"Ino was a distraction. We were each other's distraction from the one person we both really wanted to be with." All his answers are so beautiful. I'm dumbstruck. "I want to be with you, Hinata."_

_"But Naruto…" It slips. I stop talking. I know that that's the last name he wants to hear come from my mouth._

_"I know." He responds immediately, as if he were ready for this. Of course he was… poor Kiba. "That's why I'm asking for one chance." A chance? My full attention is on him. "Give me one month for me to prove to you why you should be with me instead of Naruto. Just one. After that, I won't ever bother you again."_

_This isn't a good idea. Kiba is basically gambling with his feelings here and I'm the one in control. He's my best friend. He's been with me when the entire world hasn't. He's the best person on earth to be a friend with. He's done so much for me his entire life. I really don't think this is a good idea. But he's my best friend… should I? I think… maybe, I at least owe him that._

_I look at him. This was the first time I noticed how brown Kiba's eyes were. They even reflected their brown radiance from the moonlight. I smile at him, which gives him ease, I can tell. He's helped me so much throughout my life… I owe him this. I really do._

_"Okay." I nod._

* * *

><p><strong>StereoxHearts.<br>**


	3. Current

I smell a mixture of thick, yet elegant, but clearly men scent oriented, shampoo, I think? I also smell ramen, but everything is still black. When I open my eyes I see blurry yellow and that I'm moving. Well, my body is moving, but my feet aren't. Once my vision clears, it is obvious what is happening. Naruto is carrying me. I use to have dreams about this when I was in middle school. Of course, I am less appreciative about it now unlike back then. Wait!

"Naruto?" I say softly. He turns around, so I only get a profile of his face. His skin is flawless. He smiles.

"Good, you're awake." He stops walking. "I don't know if you should walk quite yet. Was that one bowl of ramen all you ate today?"

Ramen? We did get ramen today, didn't we? And then, what? What happened next?

"What happened?" I asked him. He puts me down and rolls his shoulders. I feel a bit embarrassed. How long has he been carrying me?

"Well, we were deciding on whether or not to go back to school and then you, sorta, passed out on me." I can't tell if he was feeling awkward about the fact he had to carry me or if it found it humorous in some way. Either way, I was mortified. I haven't experienced that since middle school, since I was obsessed with him. Why is this all coming back again?

"I'm so sorry." I can't even fathom the right words to say. I'm completely embarrassed. All day, Naruto has just been nice to me, trying to help me out, and I completely ruin his day. Typical Hinata.

"No, don't be sorry!" He chuckles, scratching the back of his head. "If anything it's my fault for catching you off guard. Kiba warned me about that."

"Kiba did?" I didn't even think before saying his name, and just before all the thoughts come rushing back, Naruto's voice saves me from myself.

"Yeah!" He smiles, so dork-like. "He said if I catch you off guard, you'd probably pass out." He giggles a little bit. "I thought it was just an expression, I didn't think he was serious!" Of course, his face immediately changes to a concerned expression. "But you're alright, right?" His range of emotions is almost comical. I bite my lips to let the laughter pass.

"I'm okay, thank you." I say. "Sorry to cause you so much trouble."

"No, like I said, it's my fault for surprising you." He keep saying that he, 'surprised me', but I still don't know what he's talking about.

"I'm sure I just overreacted to whatever it was." I assure him. I thought I was comforting him, but his face looks so sad. Did I say the wrong thing?

"So you don't remember?" He asks me. As soon as he finishes that sentence, I try to scramble through my brain for the answer. He keeps talking, but I don't really listen, I just keep searching. I come up empty. I'm so embarrassed. "It's alright, Hinata." He's such an optimist. I want to be like that. "I'll just try it again."

"Try…?" It just escapes my lips. I finish the "…what?" part in my head.

His hand reaches up, and places my hair behind my ear. His fingers only skim my actual skin, but it was enough to send shudders through my entire body. I blush as his hand traces down my arm and his interlocks his fingers with mine. Is this real life? I don't understand.

"Hinata." I look up at him. I wish I didn't because now I'm hypnotized. It's been years since I've been mesmerized by his face. "Will you go out with me?"

I can't speak. Only sounds with no meanings come from my mouth. What is happening? What's going on?

"Naruto… I-"

"I know you're still depressed from your break up." He's right. I am. "But it's been three months." He's right again. It has. "I think it's time to move on, and I think I can help you with that, if you'd let me."

I've heard this before, almost exactly. I don't think I have the strength to go through this a second time. I can't handle that again. These three months have been the hardest of my life and to go through that all again would just crush me.

"Thank you, Naruto." He's so nice, he really is. "But I can't go through this again." It's literally the same thing except the two have swapped places. Was this some kind of sick joke? Were they planning this all along?

"At least let me be your friend." He reasons. "If it goes somewhere, then it does, if not, at least you're not alone anymore."

I am alone. The past three months have been the most alone I've ever felt. How is it okay to get so close to someone and become so attached, basically inseparable, then in an instant become strangers. How is that normal? How is that human?

"I don't know…" I really don't.

"Then give it a shot! What do you have to lose by gaining a friend?" That's Naruto for you, never taking no for an answer. He's right though, I need to do something. It's exhausting being depressed all the time.

Oh the déjà vu. I can still remember, this was the same feeling I felt when I was told to "give him a chance". I don't think I can take anymore chances, not with love at least. But a friend would be nice. I miss having just one person to talk to. It's been a very lonely three months, trying to get over everything.

"Just a friend… right?" I clarify. Naruto nods at me with his contagious grin.

"And nothing more," He promises, although I could've sworn I heard him mutter something after. But that's probably a side-effect from fainting earlier. I smile back and nod.

"Okay." And just like that, I have a friend again.

* * *

><p><strong>StereoxHearts<strong>


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